Construction of the 320,000-square-foot center — with its 85 luxury
outlets and a retractable roof for seasonable outdoor shopping — is set
to begin this spring at the Mashantucket casino, which is about 100
miles from Boston.

Expected to open in the summer of 2013, the outlets will be a
collaboration between casino operator Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
and Gordon Group Holdings, a Greenwich, Conn., retail development firm
that will lease the land from the tribe and manage the center.

“We have some of the best retailers in the world coming here,” said
chairman Sheldon Gordon. “It’s going to be one of the most successful
outlet centers in the country because of the huge numbers of people that
come to Foxwoods. They will now have the opportunity to buy the best
merchandise available at outlet prices.”

Gordon declined to drop any retailers’ names, but said many already
are signed. More details are expected to be revealed in six weeks.
Gordon Group’s retail projects have included the shops at Foxwoods rival
Mohegan Sun, The Forum at Caesars, Bridgemarket in New York City, San
Francisco Center and the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.

The new Foxwoods outlets — about half the size of Wrentham Village
Premium Outlets in Massachusetts — will connect the MGM Grand Hotel to
the Grand Pequot Hotel.

The nearest, sizable retail centers in Connecticut include the
125-plus-store Crystal Mall in Waterford about 15 miles away and the
Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets, which has 70 stores and is about 40
miles away.

“Our 20th anniversary celebration gives us a chance to reflect upon
the many significant accomplishments of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal
Nation and Foxwoods Resort Casino over the past two decades as well as
celebrate a new beginning,” Foxwoods CEO Scott Butera said in a
statement. “The many initiatives we are announcing today signify our
relentless desire to improve and achieve excellence by providing
extraordinary experiences to all of those who visit Foxwoods.”

Gambling revenues at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have fallen in recent
years, and the outlets will be another way to increase non-gaming
revenue.

“Foxwoods is desperately trying to get people to be more loyal to
them before Massachusetts starts casinos in two or three years,” said
Richard McGowan, a casino expert at Boston College.
“It’s a way of building up loyalty and also trying to make themselves
much more of a destination casino than they have been. The best defense
is a good offense.”

Foxwoods also formally unveiled its new “Anything But Ordinary” branding campaign and improvements to its guest rewards program.